


Bardock's story

by Chia55



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Character Death, Child Abuse, Childbirth, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Friendship, Love Triangles, Mother-Son Relationship, Movie: Bardock Father of Goku
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:32:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 18,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29333844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chia55/pseuds/Chia55
Summary: We all know where Bardock's story ended, but where did it begin? Well, here is my version of Bardock's life from birth to adulthood, including how he got his scar and met his crew. Based off the Bardock: Father of Goku special
Kudos: 3





	1. No son of mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I brought this fanfic here from FF. 
> 
> I wrote it back before Gine was introduced so she doesn't feature in this.

The doors to the medical centre slammed opened as a saiyan commander marched in to the building.

"Get out of my way!" He ordered loudly, "A proud father coming through."

Commander Aikon was a mid-class saiyan on his way to meet his first born offspring. There were already high hopes for this one. Aikon was sure that this first child would either be of the same ranking or higher than himself. His mate, Matrika, had finished giving birth about an hour ago now so the baby had had time to be checked over and ranked. He was very shocked when she announced she was pregnant all those months ago. He had never thought about his legacy until she told him that news. If she had never got pregnant, who would carry on his name and honour? But now there was someone who could.

After a few minutes of walking, Aikon came to the room he had been told to go to find his mate. He opened the door to find Matrika sat on her bed. She was an elegant looking woman. She had long straight black hair and onyx eyes. Her skin was flawless with a subtle olive tone and her tail was always so glossy and soft. She normally looked very well presented but, right now, she looked exhausted. Her hair was a little out of place and her eyes looked heavy but behind the tiredness, there was contentment. Then Aikon saw it. The blue bundle tucked in Matrika's arms. The dreamy look in her eyes was the giveaway. A series of gurgles intrigued Aikon closer. Matrika finally looked up and smiled at her mate.

"Well," She teased, "Come and say hi."

The commander was taken back by his mate's happiness. She was quite emotional for a saiyan. While most saiyans refused to show their true feelings, covering them up by being selfish and mean, Matrika was more than willing to say how she felt. But this was her appeal. Anyway, Aikon stepped closer until he finally saw the baby. It was a boy. He already had a mass of unruly jet black hair and deep onyx eyes. His brown furry tail was out of his blanket and wrapped around his mother's wrist and his little fists gripped to the blanket securely.

"He is magnificent!" Aikon stated.

Without even asking, he took his new son from Matrika and held him up to look at the baby more closely. The blanket fell away from the baby's body to the floor. Matrika watched anxiously as Aikon scanned the little saiyan. She was worried about her mate being unintentionally rough with the child.

The little saiyan boy stared at his father, wondering who this man was. Aikon was heavily built, had thick, spiky hair, a beard and moustache and charcoal black eyes. He wore red and black shouldered armour with matching boots and arm shields and a green scouter. This gave Aikon an intimidating look. The little boy found this scary too. But instead of crying, he started kicking out at Aikon's face. Matrika was quick to jump up and take her son back.

"Whoa," Aikon exclaimed, excitedly, "He's a feisty one, isn't he?"

At that moment, one of the doctors, Plenthor, walked in with the results of the baby's power level and ranking.

"Well, it's good to see the three of you getting on well." He smiled.

"Yes," Matrika sighed, "Almost."

The baby had tucked himself closer to his mother's body and was glaring at his father.

"Do we have a name?"

"I have just the one," Matrika smiled, "Bardock."

The little baby looked up at his mother with wide curious eyes. Then he started laughing. On hearing the laugh, Matrika lifted him in front of her and smiled.

"Do you like that, Bardock? Do you?"

The boy loved it. Matrika smiled and started tickling Bardock's toes with her tail. The baby started laughing louder.

"So what is Bardock's level and ranking, Plenthor?" Aikon asked.

Plenthor suddenly took a serious expression. He didn't want to give the results. Normally he didn't care but little Bardock had a grown on him. There was something to this child. But if his father knew the results, his fate would be unsure.

"Well… It's seven." He said slowly.

"Seven Hundred," Aikon grinned, "A pleasant…"

"No, sir, seven. Lower than eight but higher than six."

There was silence. Matrika stopped playing with Bardock to look at her mate's expression. He was stunned. His eyes were wide and his body was stiff. Matrika had feeling she knew what was wrong. Aikon had been boasting about their baby being of a high level. She held Bardock closer. Aikon's face was taking a furious turn.

"This means that little Bardock will be ranked as a low level soldier, Commander."

Aikon's eyes narrowed as the anger grew inside of him. He had been planning a rigorous training regime for his son to make him the strongest saiyan on the planet. Now he couldn't believe that he had considered wasting his time on this kid.

"If it's any consolation, sir, Bardock is a feisty little baby and there's plenty of potential to become very strong."

"He's still our son, Aikon," Matrika said softly, "No matter how strong he is."

Suddenly, Aikon turned to his mate. Matrika was shocked at the anger on her mate's face. She was horrified. His eyes focused on his son. Bardock was now fast asleep and snuggled against his mother's body.

"You might as well drown it!" He growled, "It's useless to us."

This really upset Matrika. She was already completely in love with Bardock. The moment she laid eyes on him, she was taken by him and any previous saiyan violence she had in her was gone. He was everything to her.

"Stop this, Aikon!" She snapped, "I can't believe you'd be reacting like this! Killing your own son? What happened to those plans you had? They can still happen."

"You stupid woman! I wouldn't waste my time on any saiyan with a power level like that. As for 'my son', that is disgraceful. My son is a low class scum."

Matrika was close to crying. She just couldn't let Aikon treat Bardock like this. But  
she knew just how to get her way.

"Well it's tough. You can't have me without Bardock."

Aikon went to argue but stopped. No matter what happened, he couldn't let Matrika go. She was a beautiful woman, the perfect trophy for any respected saiyan warrior. If she left him, she would be open to others. He'd rather she be dead than be on the arm of another warrior. So reluctantly, he backed down. He gave Bardock one quick glare than stormed out.

Relieved, Matrika plopped on to the bed and sighed heavily. Bardock didn't realise the stress he was causing to his mother already. He was still snuggled up against her. His tail was firmly wrapped around the arm that was supporting him. Matrika looked down at her son's sleeping face. She lifted him closer to her face and kissed his forehead then gently stroked that brilliant mass of hair.

"Don't you worry Bardock," She whispered, "I'll love you matter what happens."  
The little baby and his young mother were unaware of the rollercoaster ride that would be their lives, together and apart.

So, yeah, great start to life for Bardock. Will he and his mother be ok? We'll see.


	2. Setting the pace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bardock begins to grow in to a little warrior, thanks to Matrika's encouragement. But darkness is ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, from this chapter, Aikon does some vile things. If you don't hate him yet, you will after this.

A few years later and there wasn't much change in Aikon's attitude towards Bardock. He had been offered to have Bardock sent away but his mate wouldn't have it. Matrika was determined to show her mate he was wrong to disregard their son. When Bardock turned three, she started teaching him to fly. He was only little so it took a while for him to get off the ground but he then grasped it naturally. Soon, Matrika was having trouble keeping him in her sight.

"Hey! Come back, cheeky boy!" She laughed.

"Catch me if you can, Mama!" He giggled back.

"All right you asked for it!"

Matrika gathered her energy and sped off after her little son. Her experience was her advantage. She easily caught up to Bardock, grabbed him around his torso and cuddled him close to her. He started wiggling in her hug.

"I got you, Mr. Mischievous." She chuckled.

She started tickling him and he laughed out loud. This was just music to Matrika's ears. Bardock loved spending time with his mother. She could be firm but she was good fun.

Suddenly, the tickling stopped and Matrika stopped laughing. Bardock opened his eyes and looked up at his mother who was now looking to her right and down a little. She looked serious. Curious, he looked in the same direction as Matrika. 

There, he came eye to eye with his father. The saiyan commander stared at his mate and son embracing. The stare was intimidating Bardock, making him uncomfortable. Matrika felt the tension and held her boy closer to her. Aikon said nothing but spat at the ground then flew away. Matrika had a bad feeling. When they got home, it wouldn't be much better.

She was right. Almost as soon as Matrika and Bardock got home, Aikon made the atmosphere tense. Bardock knew the drill and went to his room.

"You shouldn't be encouraging him, Matrika." Aikon said, coldly.

"Why shouldn't I?" She replied just as coldly, "I was just teaching him to fly. Anyway, I thought you wanted him to be powerful? This is a good start."

"It's not worth spending your energy on him. You should be concentrating on the next one and making sure they are at least mid-class."

Matrika was a little stunned by this. Aikon was suggesting that having another baby would 'solve the problem'. As far as she was concerned, there wasn't a problem.

"We are not having another child. It wouldn't be fair on Bardock."

"The boy doesn't have a say. The moment he was born, he lost that right."

"You know; you are one big hypocrite. Need I remind you that you were like him when you were a boy? You only just became a mid-class as there was no class system introduced until we were twenty and you weren't exactly the almighty back then either."

Aikon couldn't believe the words from her mouth. He couldn't argue though. She was right. He was saved by a call to a mission over his scouter.

"I've got to go." He said.

Matrika said nothing. She was too angry. She kept her eyes looking at the floor even after he left the house.

Her angry trance was broken by a little voice calling her.

"Mama?" Bardock called nervously.

She turned to see his onyx eyes wide with distress. She crouched to his level and hugged him. The feeling of his little body against hers made her relax. But then he said a sentence that would set the pace for Bardock's childhood.

"Why does Papa hate me?" He asked.

She froze. What was she supposed to say? The three-year-old was bright. He had sensed the hostility from his father. Ok, saiyan fathers weren't known for their parental skills but most fathers at least liked their children and the children knew it. Bardock was just unlucky. But Matrika had to say something.

"When you were born," She said slowly, "Your father wanted you to be stronger than you actually were. This just upsets him."

"So if I got really strong, he might like me?" He replied.

Matrika said nothing. This seemed to be the conclusion Bardock wanted to go with. She watched him as he seemed to be thinking. It made her feel warmer. He did what she did when he was thinking. Both looked towards the floor when thinking. It was just a little mannerism they shared.

"I'm going to train really hard," He finally said, "I want to be stronger than Papa."  
Matrika smiled softly at him and hugged him. She gently stroked his hair.

"You will, I know it."

This brings the story forward a couple of years. Bardock was now six years old and training hard, just like he said he would. He would spend almost every waking moment at the nearest training centre. Matrika often had to go looking for him when he had been there too long. At first, a lot of the adult saiyans weren't very tolerant of a little boy taking up one of the arenas and forced Bardock out of the way. But he didn't give up and eventually the adult saiyans respected him and let him train in peace. Aikon had also noticed his son visiting the training centres. He didn't let Bardock realise this but he was fully aware. But one day, the boy was in for a surprise, of the cruel kind.

One day, Bardock finished breakfast. He gave Matrika a quick hug then flew all the way to the training centre. At the entrance, the manager saw him.

"Good morning, Bardock," He greeted, "There's already an arena ready for you."

"Huh? Now?" Bardock replied.

"Yeah, someone's waiting for you."

Suspicious, the boy walked to arena 5 and walked in to it. At first it looked empty. 

That was until an energy blast skimmed Bardock's face. It left a slash across the boy's cheek. He made a quick back flip to face his attacker and was shocked. There was Aikon floating above him, just wearing his spandex pants and boots, his tail tightly wrapped round his waist. He was glaring evilly at his son. Bardock could feel his heart beat increase.

"So you want to be a warrior do you?" He said, "Well, let's get started."

Aikon's so called training methods were harsh. From the first move, Bardock was pushed beyond his limits. It was never ending. The monitoring team were finding it hard to watch. Bardock was fighting to stay strong as he was thrown about, kicked, punched and blasted. After fifteen minutes, Bardock finally collapsed on the floor through exhaustion. Aikon stood over him then turned away.

"Sorry to do it to you, Boy," He said, putting his armour back on, "But you need to learn your place."

Then, without even looking over his shoulder, he left.

Bardock lay on the ground almost lifeless. Why did his father do that? Being ignored was better than this surely. And where was his mother? Someone, though, did help him. A woman, same age as Matrika, dashed in to the arena, scooped Bardock in to her arms and carried him to recovery. There, Plenthor was cleaning a healing pod. He was shocked when the woman arrived with Matrika's son.

"Courne," He gasped, "What happened?"

"He was almost ripped to death by his own father."

Plenthor took the little boy and placed him in the tank he just cleaned and started the healing procedure. He then sent an apprentice to track down Matrika and bring her here.

Fifteen minutes later, Matrika burst in the room and went straight to the tank. Bardock was still unconscious with an oxygen mask on his face. Most of his injuries were healing but one wasn't. The first wound on his face. It was proving harder to heal. Matrika couldn't hold her tears back. How could anyone attack and hurt her son like this? Just six and already was experiencing a healing pod. Matrika could remember her first time. It was terrifying, and she had been much older than Bardock at the time.

"What happened to him?" She finally asked, shakily.

There was silence. The doctors weren't sure how to explain. But that just made it  
worse.

"ANSWER ME!" She bellowed, the saiyan rage exploding.

Inside the pod, Bardock was woken by the shouting. He couldn't open his eyes but he recognised his mother's voice. She was here, meaning he was safe. Despite the bellow, the doctors still remained silent. Matrika was getting increasingly angry until someone she didn't recognise stepped forward. It was the woman who brought Bardock in.

"Your son was tricked by his father," She explained, "The boy walked in to an arena and was attacked by Aikon. He held on for a good fifteen minutes but I think exhaustion got the better of him."

"Who are you?"

"I'm Courne. I brought Bardock here."

Matrika nearly hugged this new ally but she was more concerned about her little boy. She had to do something. Aikon had gone too far.


	3. Start of a friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bardock finally meet some friends and he and Matrika get themselves allies.

A few hours later, Bardock woke up to find himself out of the pod. He was lying on his side and had his head on someone's lap. He opened his eyes and looked around him. It didn't look like any room at home. The walls and ceiling were smooth and white. He started to wonder what was going on. Then he felt her fingers touch his hair.

"Mama?"

"Hey," Matrika's voice said, "It's about time you woke up."

"Where am I?" He asked sleepily, sitting up to face her.

"You're still in the medical centre. Are you ok now?"

"I think so."

He seemed physically fine but Matrika couldn't stop staring at the wound on his face. It ran right along his cheek. Bardock noticed his mother wasn't looking straight at him.

"Mama? What's up? I'm ok."

"I'm sorry sweetie. It's just that you've got a nasty cut on your cheek."

"Didn't the pod heal it?"

Matrika shook her head. Plenthor had told that this wound would become a scar in time. It didn't look right on a six-year-old boy's face but soon it would be the distinguishing feature of her son.

There was no hurry to get back home yet as the doctors wanted to be sure that Bardock was healed properly so Matrika persuaded her baby to sleep again. As he did, Courne walked in. She looked at Bardock and smiled.

"He looks better."

"Physically," Matrika replied, "Apart from that, I'm not sure."

Courne sat beside Matrika and watched Bardock sleep. Courne could see the gash on Bardock's face from where she sat. It wasn't a nice thing to see even to a child she didn't know.

"I see he wants to be a warrior in the future."

Matrika nodded, tenderly caressing Bardock's hair.

"Well, he's looking good. Does he always train by himself?"

"Pretty much. I try to join in but he gets there before I've had a chance to get ready."

"I get you. Well, maybe he'd like to train with my kids."

Matrika looked at Courne. Courne explained she and her mate, Bane, had twin boys the same age as Bardock. Matrika was astounded. Twins were incredibly rare in saiyans. The last set was nearly thirty years go. Courne was used to the gasps of astonishment towards her sons. She just smiled calmly.

"Tora and Tarro are similar to your boy; they're very head strong and self-assured. I think it would be beneficial for all of us if they trained together."

"How so?"

"Well, Bardock will be much safer training with others than alone, all three will make friends and we can carry on with other things knowing they'll be ok. So how about it?"

Matrika looked down at Bardock and gently ran a finger along his new scar, deep in thought. Right now, she felt it owed to her son. She should've been there for him to stop Aikon attacking. After a few moments, she smiled than agreed with Courne’s idea.

A few days later, Bardock was back at home and staying out of Aikon's way. The Saiyan commander still glared at his son with hate but didn't touch him. However, he was shocked by Matrika. As soon as she saw him, she was furious. Deep down she wanted to strangle him. She even visualised pinning him against the wall and holding him there until he passed out. But she just resorted to shouting at him.

"How can you be so cruel?" She began, "What you did to Bardock was just disgusting!"

"According to you it was."

"That's the feeling from everyone who witnessed it."

"I was doing what you want, I was training the boy. He just isn't cut out as a fighter."

"No, you went too far. It's you who can't cut it!"

Enraged, Aikon went to storm at her but she stood firm. She knew he wouldn't hurt her. No matter what Aikon did to Bardock, he wouldn't do it to Matrika. She was right. He stopped right in front of her but backed off. Aikon just remained quiet, staring Matrika's stubbornness. Bardock, however, had watched this argument, unknown to Matrika and Aikon. His heart was in his throat. He thought his mother was going to get hurt. He was amazed at her courage. Aikon was much bigger than she was but she wasn't scared. Well she didn't seem scared.

A week or so later, Matrika was flying with Bardock to another training centre. Today, Bardock was going to meet Corune’s twins. He wasn't sure what to make of this. The only 'friend' he really had was his mother and he hadn't met anyone else his age before. But Matrika assured him that everything would be ok. They finally arrived and Matrika led Bardock inside. It didn't take long for them to find Courne. This was the first time Bardock had ever seen her. She had short black hair and indigo eyes. She wore purple and black strapped armour and a green scouter. Either side of her stood two boys. Both boys had dark brown hair, dark eyes, and looked identical. The main differences were their hair styles. One boy had hair that just fell neatly on to his neck. The other had most of his hair spiky and the rest was kept under control in a thin ponytail. Both boys, like Bardock wore black and white shouldered armour.

"So you made it." Courne greeted.

"Yep," Matrika replied, "Though we very nearly didn't. Someone thought he'd try to be shy."

Without saying anything, Courne understood. Bardock had tried getting out of coming.

"Well, let me introduce my boys."

Tarro was the one with the neat hair and Tora was the spike-haired one. Matrika then introduced Bardock. They both gave him a cheerful greeting.

'Well they seem ok.' He thought.

"Do you want to have some fun, Bardock?" Tora asked.

"We've got some awesome training games that we can do." Tarro added.

Bardock was unsure and looked up at Matrika. She smiled then gently pushed him forward with her tail. Without argument, Bardock took the cue and followed the twins to the arena. Matrika and Courne then went to sit and watch.

It was a slow start for the three boys. Bardock found it hard to join in. He wasn't used to sharing a training arena or joining in with others. However, Tora and Tarro were very encouraging. They liked their new friend and really wanted to play with him. So eventually, the three boys were getting in to their stride. They were really enjoying themselves and laughing when appropriate. They raced each other around the arena and had sparring matches without energy techniques. Matrika couldn't stop smiling. Bardock loved every minute. The happiness in his eyes was so heart-warming and she was starting to get teary. Courne looked and saw the watery eyes.

"You ok?"

"I'm just so happy to watch him like this." Matrika replied, "It's been a while since I've heard him laugh like that."

"Well, we'll have to let them see each other as often as possible."

"Definitely"

Back in the arena, the boys were so pleased with their training so far that they decided to step in up a level and start experimenting with energy attacks. Ten targets were put up throughout the arena. All the boys had to do was each destroy as many as possible in 30 seconds with only energy attacks. Tarro went first and managed to get five. His accuracy was a little off but he was quick at gathering energy. Tora was next and also got five. His accuracy was spot on but his attacks weren't always strong enough. Bardock, however, got eight. His technique was much better. The power, accuracy and speed were there in each blast. Matrika was hugely impressed by her son's ability. She was finally seeing what his training had done.

"Wow Bardock," Tora gasped, "That was awesome! How did you do that?"

"Hee, hee, hee," Bardock chuckled, "I'm not really sure but I've practised lots."

"Clearly," Tarro replied, "You've definitely trained really hard."

"Thanks."

After another hour of training, it was time for the three boys to come out and shower. They quickly washed then put on the clean clothes their mothers brought them. Once the boys were clean, dry and dressed, the two families were about to fly home when Tora walked to Bardock.

"I had fun Bardock," He said, "You'll hang out with me and Tarro again right?"

At first Bardock didn't give a reaction. Then a smile spread across his face.

"You bet I will, Tora," He grinned, "Today was awesome."

"Cool!"

Then, to seal their new friendship, the two boys gently knocked their tails together. Matrika couldn't stop smiling. Finally, Courne led her boys back home.

"Well, shall we get going too?" Matrika asked.

"Ok."

After flying for a few minutes in silence, Bardock saw his mother was looking at him with a smile that was encouraging to open up.

"This has been the best day ever!" He smiled brightly.

"So you really did enjoy yourself?" Matrika replied.

"Yeah, those games were so cool and fun. And Tora and Tarro were awesome fun!"

"And it looks Tora is your new best friend."

Bardock didn't say anything but the gesture he and Tora shared said it all. The mother and son continued home enjoying the warm sun on their skin. With Aikon being away on mission, nothing could spoil this new feeling of happiness. However, a very big darkness was about to descend on the family.


	4. That's enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things come to a head for Matrika when Aikon goes too far.
> 
> Violence and character death to come

Six years later and the tension within Matrika's family had intensified. Aikon had seen the progress that Bardock had been making with his training and still maintained that it was a waste of time. Matrika's views on her mate's treatment of Bardock hadn't changed. Luckily, Aikon wasn't at home very often. He was either on a mission or at the bar. Bardock had learnt to shut out the abuse from his father and continued as normal. The good news though was that Bardock had continued training with Tarro and Tora. The three boys were getting stronger, faster and wiser thanks to the training and their friendship was getting firmer. Matrika and Courne started leaving them to train and had also developed a close friendship. The bond was so close that both women had promised to look after each other's children if anything happened. Matrika secretly hoped it wouldn't happen as the thought of looking after three boys rather than one was daunting. But soon that promise would be realized.

It started when Aikon was preparing for a mission in his room. As he ensured his   
armour was completely undamaged, he caught sight of Bardock walking past wearing his training clothes. Matrika was out on one of her rare missions so Aikon knew that Bardock was defenceless.

"Boy, come here." He called.

Wary, Bardock did as he was told and walked in to his father's room. The wound on his little cheek had done as Plenthor predicted and become a very distinct scar. It still made Matrika slightly emotional when looking at it but it was very much a part of the twelve-year-old saiyan.

"Father?"

"Where are you going?"

"To train with my friends."

"Well, forget it. I have something more useful for you to do."

This made Bardock very suspicious and nervous. Aikon put his armour on then led his son out of the house. He then flew in to the air. Hesitantly, Bardock followed him.

Nearly two hours later, father and son were still flying. Bardock was getting tired and increasingly hungry. He hadn't eaten for three hours and keeping up with his father's incredible speed and stamina was draining the energy out of his little body. Aikon then heard the stomach of his son grumble. He turned around and saw Bardock falling behind. In fact, he was plummeting to the ground. They had stopped in the mountains of Vegeta, there was heaps of snow everywhere and it was very cold. Aikon landed in front of Bardock, who was rubbing his belly to soothe the hunger pains.

"What's the problem boy?" he asked, knowing full well what was wrong.

"I'm so hungry." Bardock moaned.

Aikon smirked. He then lifted off the ground and hovered above Bardock. The boy suddenly realised what was happening.

"Father, wait a minute. I'm coming too."

But as he tried to fly with his father, he just fell straight back down to the ground. His energy supply was drained. He watched in despair as Aikon vanished with the speed he was flying.

"FATHER!"

This was bad. Bardock had no energy to fly, was completely lost, it was very cold and Matrika, his only hope of salvation, didn't know where he was. But he couldn't give up. He stood up and started walking the direction he had flown from. Hopefully he would get home this way.

A few hours later, Bardock was still walking through the frozen waste land and was desperately trying to stay on his feet. He was getting weaker from lack of food and hope was disappearing. Suddenly something in the sky caught his attention. He looked up and saw a space pod returning home. It had to be Matrika. Her job wasn't to blow planets up, it was to monitor and maintain the contribution of planets taken by Frieza's empire. Her return meant Bardock had a glimmer of hope. She surely would go home first thing and would worry when her baby wasn't there to hug her.

"Mother"

Finally, exhaustion took over and little Bardock collapsed in the snow.

Meanwhile, Matrika had indeed returned to Vegeta from her duty and was looking forward to a nap then some food. But before she could fly away, Courne appeared. She looked worried.

'I wonder what's happened. I hope the twins are ok?'

"Matrika," Courne said, "I'm so glad to see you."

"Really, why?"

"Bardock was supposed to train with Tora and Tarro today but he didn't show up."

"Have you been to my home?"

"Yes but no one answered."

Matrika suddenly felt her heart beat increase rapidly. She was on the edge of hyperventilating and fearing the worse. She suddenly flew off the landing deck and powered herself through the sky to her home. Once there, she burst in and rushed in to every room.

"Bardock? Bardock!" She called, "Where are you, my baby?"

She looked everywhere but nothing. However, she knew exactly who would know where her son was. She stormed out of the house and headed to a familiar bar.  
Sure enough, Matrika found Aikon. He was sitting calmly at the counter, chucking back alcohol. One of the guys saw Matrika marching to her mate, clearly furious.

"Hey, Aikon," He said, "Looks like you're in trouble."

"Huh?"

"Aikon!"

"Matrika? When did you get back?"

"That doesn't matter!" She barked, "What have you done with Bardock? And don't say you don't know. He's not home and his friends haven't seen him all day.

"I took him to the mountains. A toughening up exercise for him."

Matrika nearly froze. She knew now how much danger her son was in. She quickly ran out of the bar and flew at full speed to the mountains. Aikon just turned back to the bar, carrying on with his drinking. Once in the mountain range, she slowed down and used her scouter to find Bardock's power level. It took a while but soon she found him. He was unconscious and almost buried under the snow, thanks to a passing blizzard. She landed right by his side and picked him up. She quickly wrapped his body in her travelling clock and held him tight.

"Bardock," She called, "Baby, it's going to be ok. Mama's here now."

Slowly, his eyes opened and looked up at her.

"Mom?" He barely said.

"Yes. You're safe now, Bardock. Let's go home."

Holding her son tight to her body, Matrika flew home as quickly as she could.  
Almost as soon as they touched down, Matrika had Bardock in bed and was trying to warm him up to the best of her skill. She covered him in thick warm blankets then warmed up some water and helped him drink it.

"There we go," She said softly, "Is that better?"

"Yeah, but," Bardock replied, "I could do with some food."

Matrika smiled.

"So be it. I'll make your favourite."

She kissed his forehead then left him to warm up. Once in another room, she gave a sigh. How could Aikon do this? This cruelty towards Bardock had gone on for far too long. She couldn't believe she had put up with this and allowed Bardock's life to be risked for so long. She had to stop this once and for all.

A couple of hours later, Aikon returned home after being in the bar. He was pretty drunk, barely able to walk straight. Bardock had warmed up and was sleeping in his room. Matrika was washing the dishes.

"Mattie!" Aikon called, "Where are you, woman?"

"What are you doing here?" She growled.

"This is my home."

"Not any more. You've gone too far this time, Aikon. Bardock doesn't deserve you to be abusing him like this!"

"The Boy needs putting in his place. He's a weakling, always has been and always will be. There's no point in him training."

Matrika glared at the attempt to validate the abuse. It brought tears to her eyes. At one point she loved this man but now she didn't even care if he were to blow up. As her anger boiled, Aikon got closer to her.

"Now, if we're finished talking," He growled deeply, "Time for some fun."

Suddenly, before she could react, Matrika was pinned against the wall by Aikon's weight and strength. He used his large hands to hold hers and his knees to prevent her legs from moving. She then felt his tail exploring her body. She had to stop him. But every time she struggled, his grip tightened. Eventually, her squirming started to irritate him. He suddenly clasped a hand around her throat.

"Stop moving," He growled, "Or I won't let go."

Suddenly, something hit Aikon hard in the side of his head, sending him flying. Matrika fell to the floor and her lungs quickly filled with air, resulting in her coughing. As she rubbed her neck, she looked up to see a shock. Aikon also looked up to see it. Stood between the two adult saiyans, was Bardock in fighting stance. The young saiyan had been woken by the entrance his father made. When he heard his parents arguing over him, he went to his bedroom door. Then when he saw Matrika being strangled, he punched his father.

"Bardock?"

"Leave Mother alone, you scum."

"How dare you?!"

Aikon then punched his son in the stomach. But as he prepared to kick him, Matrika grabbed his ankle while it was in the air.

"Bardock, run sweetie" She ordered.

"But Mom…"

"NOW BARDOCK!"

At that roar, Bardock did as he was told and sprinted out of the house. As he took to the skies, he could hear his mother fighting courageously against his father. Then the young saiyan started crying.

"Mother, why do that? He wanted to kill me. Why didn't you let him? You wouldn't be suffering if it wasn't for me!"

Bardock flew as fast as he could to the one place he knew he would be safe.


	5. Matrika's scarifice

Unaware of what was happening; Courne and her family were trying to relax for the evening. However, Courne was still very worried about Matrika and Bardock. Tora and Tarro were also concerned. Since Bardock failed to show up for their training session, they were worried about him, especially Tora. He was now sat at his bedroom window staring outside, wondering if his best friend was ok. The two boys saw each other every day. They were almost like brothers. As Tora stared out in to the darkness, he heard knocking at the door. Courne went straight there. Tora and Tarro went to where they could see the door way. Their father, Bane, came out with a towel draped around his neck from a shower. What happened was a shock to everyone.

Courne opened the door. As she did, she just caught sight of the person stood on the doorstep before her as they collapsed, face down, on to her floor. When she looked down, lying at her feet was Bardock. The saiyan boy was completely unconscious.

"Bardock!" Tora exclaimed.

"What happened to him?" Bane asked.

Courne picked up her friend's son and carried him in to the boys' bedroom. There, she put him in Tora's bed. She checked his pulse and breathing to find he was in shock and his body was finding it hard to cope.

"Is he ok, mom?" Tarro asked.

"I think so," Courne replied, "He just needs a rest."

"Someone should tell Matrika we've got him." Bane suggested.

"No, something isn't right here."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure."

Before they could discuss further, Bardock started to wake up. Tora and Tarro went to his side and watched. Slowly, Bardock's dark eyes opened and he started looking around the room. That's when he saw his two best friends.

"Tora? Tarro?"

"Hey Bardock," Tora greeted cheerfully, "We were worrying about you."

"Are you ok?" Tarro asked, "You ended up fainting at our door."

Bardock went quiet as he thought back to his mother ordering him to leave. Courne could see the distress and worry in the boy's eyes. It had to do with Matrika.

"Bane," She said firmly, "Take Tora and Tarro for something to eat. Bardock needs some peace and quiet."

"Alright," Her mate replied, "Come on you two."

"Ok."

"See you later, Bardock."

Once the twins had left with their father, Courne sat opposite Bardock. She could see how tired and drained he was but she needed his help.

"Bardock," She said softly, "Where've you been all day? You know Tora and Tarro were waiting for you."

"It was Dad." Bardock replied simply.

"I need more than that."

Bardock wasn't sure how Courne could help but her kind eyes and persistent nature were too much to ignore. He sighed then started to tell her what happened. Her heart broke as he told her about being abandoned on the mountains but she froze with shock when he explained how Aikon attacked him and Matrika.

After he explained, Courne watched in shock as Bardock tried hard not to cry. He had toughened up over the years but all this horror was really testing his solidity. Courne couldn't imagine anything like this happening to her sons. Aikon was becoming dangerous even by saiyan standards. Sure, saiyans attacked each other but usually because of provocation or some form of revenge but Courne wasn't aware of any attacking their mates or their children. She then wrapped her arms around Bardock and hugged him.

"Do you think my mother's ok?" He asked.

Courne paused as she wasn't sure what she thought. Matrika was a tough girl, of course, but Aikon wasn't a commander for nothing. He was a formidable mid-class saiyan with a fearsome reputation. But Matrika had described a more honourable side being around before Bardock was born.

"I don't know, Bardock," She said honestly, "Hopefully she'll be fine but nothing's for certain."

The young warrior looked down and gave a hefty sigh. Then Courne saw he was struggling to stay awake. The day had really drained his energy.

"Go to sleep, Bardock," She said, "Stay in Tora's bed. He won't mind."

"But what about…?"

"Don't worry about your mother. We'll find her in the morning."

Reluctantly, Bardock lay back and closed his eyes. Courne walked out and left him to sleep. She was really worried about Matrika but it was dangerous to go storming to her home now. Aikon could do more damage if aggravated. It was going to be a long night.

The next morning, Bardock got up, threw on his clothes and started heading out the door.

"Hold on, Bardock," Tora called, "Wait for us a minute."

"I need to find my mother."

"Let Mom and I help you."

"What about Tarro?"

"He and Bane have gone training," Courne replied, "Tora wants to help."

Seeing that he had no say in the matter, Bardock waited a few minutes while Courne and Tora finished getting ready. Once ready the three of them flew to Bardock's home. Courne put herself in the front with the two boys behind her. Tora watched his best friend and his mind went to the night before. Bardock had spent the whole night tossing and turning, worrying about Matrika.

"You didn't sleep well, did you?" He asked.

Bardock looked at his best friend and saw the concern.

"No." He replied simply.

"She'll be ok. Once we find her, you and she can be happy."

Bardock wasn't so convinced by that.

After half an hour of flying, they arrived at Bardock's home to find it looking as though nothing was wrong. Bardock landed quickly then sprinted to the door. However, instead of running through it, he crashed in to it, sending him flying. He landed with a harsh thud.

"Are you ok?" Tora asked.

"Yeah," Bardock replied, "Why is it locked?"

Courne peered through the window and switched on her scouter. There was no reading coming from the house and no sign of anyone home.

"Where is Mom?"

At first Courne didn't answer Bardock's question. She had a feeling she knew where.

"Come on boys."

She took to the air, with the boys behind her, and flew. As they got closer, Bardock recognised where they were going, recovery. They landed and Courne led the two boys inside. Bardock could feel his heart thrashing as he followed her through the halls. Soon they met a familiar face. Plenthor had been walking from one place to another when he saw Courne in the hall. He stood then his eyes fell on Bardock and his expression fell.

"Plenthor," Courne greeted, "I'm glad to find you."

"Greetings Courne," He replied, "I gather you're looking for Matrika."

"How did you know that?"

"You'd best follow me."

Anxiously Courne and the boys followed the aging doctor.

Soon they arrived at a room where Bardock got the shock of his life. In the middle of the room was healing tank with a medic monitoring the levels of DNA. Inside though was the biggest shock, Matrika. She was completely unconscious, covered in scars and her normally radiant skin was pale. Tora looked to his side to see Bardock frozen. The boy's body could barely move and his bottom lip was trembling. Finally, he dived to the tank and stared terrified at his mother's lifeless face.

"Mom, I'm here," He called, "Its ok."

Plenthor explained that Aikon had brought her in through the night, claiming that she had over done things during a training mission. Bardock heard what he said but knew deep down what really happened.

For the next couple of days, Bardock stayed right by his mother's tank. He refused to leave her and no one dared try to move him. Plenthor checked on him every day and provided him with food, water and a comfy pillow. Courne also came to see him every day. She could see her best friend was not going to survive. She and Bane had already started to plan what ultimately would happen. Bardock would come to live with them. Aikon had only been seen once since Matrika came in. He appeared at the door of the room and when he saw his son sat next to the healing tank, he snarled. Bardock glared hard at his father. The boy was still scared of the man but he was determined not to show. His mother deserved him to be strong. On the third night, Plenthor walked in to find Bardock fast asleep on the floor next to the tank. His tail was wrapped around his waist and his head was lying on his hands. Plenthor looked up to Matrika and saw something upsetting. Her air mask wasn't giving off bubbles. She had stopped breathing and was dead. Young Bardock's life was now turned upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now what for Bardock?


	6. Bardock's pain

Matrika's death left the saiyans who knew her angry and outraged that a promising member of their race had been torn apart by one who should've protected her. Aikon hadn't been seen anywhere on the planet since taking Matrika to the medical centre. It was just as well, many of the saiyans who knew what he had done were after his blood. Courne was the only one who was glad to never see Aikon again. As promised, she took Bardock home with her after Matrika's body was buried. She felt that if he saw his father, there wouldn't be enough strength to stop him from lashing out. But, if Courne thought Bardock would show any other signs that he was hurting, she was wrong. The young saiyan was almost completely emotionless. It was like he had become as solid as a rock. Even for a saiyan, it wasn't a good sign. He showed very little interest in eating, he barely slept and the time in between he would disappear to train alone. Tora and Tarro tried to join in with the training but Bardock would just completely ignore them. Tora was becoming more and more worried. During one training session, he and Tarro sat on the floor watching Bardock train. He had been in the air for three hours solid now. Sweat beaded his face and his chest was heaving. But there was no sign of him stopping. Tora frowned watching.

"He's gotta stop at some point." He said.

"He'll be ok," Tarro assured him, "He's been through a lot worse."

"I'm worried. Ever since Matrika died, Bardock's been like stone. It's like he's completely shut off to everyone and everything around him."

"He's just grieving."

"Tarro, in the last two weeks have you seen Bardock lash out, cry, show anything that resembles emotion?"

Tarro leaned back on his arms and went quiet as he thought carefully. His twin brother was correct, Bardock hadn't shown anything to express pain, anger or any other form of emotion. It was worrying. The twins looked up only to see Bardock start his training again.

"Also, he's pushing himself almost to the brink."

"If he keeps this up, he could…"

"Enough, Tora, there's no way. Bardock's tougher than that."

"But even the toughest saiyan has a limit."

Eventually, after another hour of training, Bardock completed his training and came back to ground. The three boys then returned home for dinner.

At the dinner table, Courne watched as her mate and her sons ate furiously, typical saiyan behaviour. However, Bardock caught her attention. He was merely picking at his food. He seemed distant. She knew why but was worried, like her sons. She too had yet to see any form of emotion from Bardock. This lack of interest in his food was another thing to be worried about. For now, though, she chose to just watch him carefully. That night, after dinner, Courne found the boys fast asleep in their beds. Tora and Tarro were sleeping in their bunk beds, Tarro on top, while Bardock slept on the floor in a sleeping bag. The twins were sound asleep, dreaming of the opponents they'd face in the future. However, Courne's attention wasn't on them, it was on Bardock. The orphaned saiyan was tossing and turning, clearly having a nightmare. As she watched him, Bane walked up behind her, seeing what she was watching. He gave a sigh when he saw Bardock thrashing.

"I'd hate to be in that kid's head right now." He commented, his voice deep and smooth.

"He shouldn't be going through this," Courne replied, "I know we saiyans have naturally violent tendencies but not to our own flesh and blood. Aikon has no idea what he's done."

Bane didn't reply. He didn't need to. He couldn't think of any saiyan that would turn on his mate and offspring like Aikon did.

"I'm worried, Bane. Bardock hasn't shown any sign that he's hurt. I know saiyans are practically emotionless but he's a child, he doesn't have the mechanism to shut his emotions off. He should at least be lashing out."

"He will eventually. There's only so long he can stay this way."

"I hope so."

After a few more seconds of thrashing, Bardock finally settled. A relieved smile appeared on Courne's face.

"He's a good kid, Matrika thought the world of him."

"She did a great job getting him this far, alone. He's stronger than first imagined; he's got some of her resourcefulness and a determined little guy."

"Aikon just couldn't see it. I just hope we can finish off what she started."

With uncertainty, Courne and Bane went to bed.

A few days later, Tora woke up a little earlier than usual, not sure why. He could hear Tarro sleeping above him and his father snoring in the next room. He opened his eyes and looked around. The house was just starting to lighten up with the rising sun. He stretched then turned to check on Bardock. Every morning, Tora would check his best friend. Each morning, Bardock would be lying on his side, facing away from Tora, hiding his face. But this morning, Tora got a shock. Bardock was nowhere to be seen. His makeshift bed on the floor was empty. Curious, Tora got to his feet. He then noticed that Bardock's armour was also missing. It didn't take a genius to work out where Bardock was. Concerned, Tora pulled on his own clothes and set off after his future comrade.

Being only children, Tora, Tarro and Bardock were not permitted to use scouters yet so finding Bardock wasn't an easy task for Tora. He had to fly to each training centre in turn then search every room. The nearest centre to his home came up empty as did the second. However, when he got to the third, he walked in to find that the lights were on. Soon, he could hear the sounds of someone training. He recognised the voice, Bardock. He carefully walked to the door of the arena and peered around it. He was greeted by an almighty roar from Bardock as the young saiyan smashed his fist at a target, which disintegrated on impact. Tora was stunned. There was so much anger, rage and pain in that roar, it was actually scary. For a few minutes, Tora watched in shock as Bardock's rage took over and he pushed himself harder and harder. Tora could feel his mouth dry and his heart race. His best friend was finally letting out his held back anger but it was not a pretty sight. This lashing out was close to destructive. At the pace Bardock was going, he was going to kill himself.

Finally, Tora couldn't take anymore. He flew in to the air as Bardock fired a volley of energy blasts at the targets.

"Bardock!" He shouted.

Suddenly, Bardock spun, grabbed Tora by his neck and raised his hand with energy ball waiting to be fired. Tora froze as Bardock glared at him with pure rage.

"B-Bardock, it's o-ok!" Tora stuttered, "I'm not go-going to hurt you."

"What are you doing here, Tora?" Bardock demanded.

"I was looking for you. Then I found you here beating yourself up."

"I'm fine!"

Roughly, Bardock pushed Tora away from him then turned his back. Tora was about to leave when he felt it. He couldn't leave Bardock like this. His best friend needed his help even if he didn't want it.

"At this pace, you'll kill yourself, Bardock."

"Like anyone would care either way"

"We care. Your mother would care."

Tora could see Bardock shaking, as if fighting to keep his emotions in check.

"What that bastard did to your mother was unforgivable," Tora said, "but it wasn't your fault, Bardock. None of this is your fault. A stubborn bastard like Aikon only cares about getting his own way, no matter what."

"She died protecting me. If I hadn't been…"

"No, Bardock. Matrika did what she had to. If it wasn't you, it would've been any other child she had."

The arena fell silent, Tora just staring at Bardock's stiff back.

Then finally, all the bottled up emotions pushed Bardock over and the young saiyan began crying. Tora watched as his friend sank down until he was sat on the floor. Bardock sat on his knees, strangled sobs echoing through the arena. When Tora landed next to him, he started pounding the ground with his clenched fists. Tora knelt by him and started rubbing his back supportively.

"It's ok, Bardock," Tora assured, "Let it out buddy."

"Why? Why did it happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing, trust me, nothing."

"Mom was all I had. What am I supposed to do now she's gone?"

Tora thought for a moment.

"I don't know, Bardock, I've never been through this."

As the boys sat on the floor, they heard footsteps. Tora looked up to see his mother stood at the door. She had woken not long after Tora left and came looking for the boys when she realised they'd both gone. She sighed when she saw Bardock's breakdown. She then walked over to them.

"Your mother was determined to see that you become as strong as possible and prove that scumbag wrong," she told Bardock, "Without hurting yourself, you should carry on where she left off. Live the life she tried to give you. You'll be staying with us as long as you want so make the most of it."

Bardock looked up at Courne's sympathetic eyes. Actually, on closer look, her eyes were more like affinity, like she had been through a similar situation. Seeing how tough and solid she was, gave Bardock hope. Once the tears were dried up, the three saiyans returned home for breakfast. There would uncertain times ahead for Matrika's son.


	7. Time changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a time skip here where Bardock's team begins to take shape

A few years after Matrika's death, Bardock, Tora and Tarro were now young adults and promising members of the saiyan army. As predicted when he was a kid, Bardock's scar had grown with him and it looked fitting on his face now. It actually gave him more presence, which was needed when stood next to the twins who were now taller and heavier looking than Bardock. They were now old enough to use scouters and had already been sent out on their first team assignment.

However, three doesn't make a team so Bardock, Tora and Tarro were joined by two more saiyans. The first was Borgos. He was a few years older than the boys and taller than either of the twins. But he was a rather silent type. He had ended up on their team after the rest of his team were split up for trying to get each other killed. Borgos was happy to allow the younger saiyans take lead. The other new member was a female named Fasha. She was a little younger than Bardock but more than feisty enough to keep the boys on their toes. Watching her move was rather eye-catching for the boys; she moved much more gracefully and elegantly than what the boys could. After just a couple of missions together, the five saiyans were tight. And even though he was inexperienced, Bardock quickly found his place as team leader, a role that seemed to come naturally to him.

Since his mother's death, it hadn't been easy adjusting to life after her but Bardock was managing to move on. There was still no sign of his violent father but it was just one thing less to worry about. He took Courne's advice and carried on his training to become stronger than Aikon and become a better man than him. Being sent on assignments and being a part of his own team helped, giving Bardock something to focus on. It wasn't long before he, Tora and Tarro were regular trouble makers. The three young saiyans were also gaining attention from the pretty young ladies of Planet Vegeta, something Tora and Bardock enjoyed very much. Tarro, however, quickly found the girl he admired the most, their female comrade, Fasha. Whenever at the bar, Fasha would insist on either sharing a seat with Tarro or even sitting in his lap. Initially, it was awkward for the other three saiyans but soon it just became normal. That was until the team were dealt a huge blow, one that would test their friendships, test Bardock as a leader and change the dynamics of the team forever.

The team were off on their latest assignment on that fateful day. The planet they were being sent to had inhabitants that should be easy to destroy without transforming so the five saiyans were looking forward to it. They all climbed in to their pods and got settled for the journey. As they were climbing in, something caught Bardock's eye. He looked up to see a young female saiyan walking past the launch deck. She was dressed in the uniform black and white saiyan armour but it was her face that caught Bardock's attention. She was incredibly beautiful. Her long black hair shone in the sunlight, her pink skin glowed and her pale red lips were very tempting. As Bardock watched her, she seemed to realise that she was being watched. She stopped and turned to look Bardock's way. That was when he saw her eyes, the brightest emerald green Bardock had ever seen with beautiful big lashes. Her eyes just sparkled. Seeing him admiring her caused this stunning creature to smile at him.

'Oh, man! What a smile!'

But before Bardock could get carried away, he heard Tarro shout his name.

"Hey, Bardock," He shouted, "You getting in or what!"

"Yeah, I'm coming."

He glanced back to see his mysterious beauty had disappeared.

'Who was that girl?'

Leaving the question for now, Bardock climbed in to his pod then the five saiyans set off to their next mission.

Bardock and his team had been sent to a planet by the name of Ethica. There was nothing particularly special about the people of the planet but within the caves, there were priceless minerals, the reason Frieza wanted the planet. The five pods landed hard in to the planet's surface, leaving five huge craters in the ground. The five saiyan each climbed out and stretched their muscles. Bardock and Tora looked around. The sky was a pleasant blue while the grass was pale yellow. That's when the scouters suddenly picked up on power levels on the planet. But the power levels were scattered about in all directions.

"When's the moon full here?" Fasha asked.

"Not for a couple of days," Tarro replied.

"But we shouldn't need it," Tora added, "The Ethica people aren't stronger than either of us."

"Ok, before we get to work," Bardock said, "Remember, we only take out the people, try and keep the planet's surface untouched. Frieza wants these minerals and we don't know how far in the ground they are."

They nodded in understanding then agreed to split up, meeting back after five hours for an update.

But their confidence was about to be put out. Tora was the first to discover that the information they had been given about the planet was very wrong. As he flew through the air, his scouter suddenly started bleeping loudly. It was telling him something was below. He looked down just in time to see an energy blast heading straight for him. He managed to dodge it only to look down to see the people of Ethica on the ground.

"Get him!" One shouted.

Before Tora knew, he was fighting alone, dodging the energy blasts and firing back. He was about to call for help over the scouter when he heard the other saiyans were also under attack. All five saiyans struggled with their group of Ethicans but they weren't willing to give up and their persistence started paying off. Soon, Tora, Fasha and Borgos found each other and fought together until no more Ethicans were left standing. The three saiyans returned to their pods, exhausted. They were also missing Bardock and Tarro. While Fasha and Borgos got their breath back, Tora used his scouter to try and make contact.

"Bardock? You there? Tarro? Guys, answer me!"

"Tora?" Fasha asked.

"Neither of them is answering."

"Do you think they are ok?" Borgos asked.

"I… I don't know."

The three saiyans fell silent. There was a chance they had lost two of their friends.  
After a long agonising wait, their scouters started beeping. Two people were coming towards them. With bated breath they waited until they could see a shape flying slowly towards them. It was hard to see exactly who it was but something made Tora's stomach flip. He flew up to get a better view. That's when he heard the voice.

"Tora! Give me a hand!"

It was Bardock. But he wasn't alone; he was supporting a heavily injured and unconscious Tarro. Without thinking, Tora flew over to help get his twin in to a pod. When Fasha saw the state of her boyfriend, she almost froze to the spot as Bardock and Tora got Tarro safely in his pod. Without wasting time, the rest of the group climbed in to their pods and raced back to Planet Vegeta.

As soon as the five pods landed on Planet Vegeta, Tora, Borgos and Bardock grabbed Tarro's limp, broken body out of his pod and dragged him to the nearest medical centre and in to a healing pod. Fasha had flown off to find Courne. As soon as Courne learnt about her son's injuries, she and Fasha took to the air and raced to her son's side. She and Tora hugged each other then settled down to wait to see if Tarro would make it. Bardock, Fasha and Borgos chose to wait outside the medical centre, out of the way but where Tora could find them.

However, the next morning, Bardock woke up to find that he, Fasha and Borgos had fallen asleep against the wall of the medical centre. He stretched then stood up. It was then that the doors opened with a hiss and Plenthor stepped out. The aging doctor turned to see the three young saiyans sat outside.

"Plenthor? How is he?" Bardock asked.

The question woke Fasha and Borgos who stood up to hear how their friend was doing. Plenthor saw the hope in their eyes and sighed. Bardock felt his stomach churn; he had heard that sigh before. He knew what it meant. Suddenly he pushed past Plenthor and dashed to the room, leaving Fasha and Borgos stunned.

"I'm sorry." Plenthor said softly.

When Bardock got to the room where the pod was, he found Bane holding Courne close as she sobbed. Then he spotted Tora on his knees right by the pod, his body, violently shaking with grief. It was true; Tarro had died in the night. Yet again, Bardock had lost someone close.


	8. Return the favour

Tarro's death came as huge shock to both his family and his team. It was the first time since the team was formed that anyone had died. Courne and Bane had seen hundreds of saiyans they knew die, including Matrika but it was still hard to believe one of their sons had joined those unlucky people. For the first few days, they lived in a constant state of emotional shock.

Things weren't much better for Bardock, Borgos and Fasha. The lives of three saiyans were a mess, all three mostly drowning their sorrows in their usual bar. Borgos was even quieter than usual and found himself watching as Fasha and Bardock dealt with their feelings more openly. It was the first time that Fasha had experienced loosing someone so close that she could remember. She was one of the unlucky saiyan babies, she was sent out almost immediately after birth. Both her parents were killed during missions so she never got to know them enough to love them. Bardock and the others were the closest she'd ever had to family and Tarro was more than that. His death had broken her heart. As for Bardock, two things dominated his thoughts. Tarro's demise was as tragic as when Matrika died. And now guilt was all he could feel. Tarro was one of his team, his responsibility, and now he was dead. He was also the one who decided that they split up.

But the one suffering the worst was Tora. He and Tarro had been almost like one being when together. Sure, they were brothers and fighting with each other was a part of sibling life. But the twins cared about each other and were practically inseparable. Until now, that is. Since his brother's death, Tora had hardly seen his parents or his team. He locked himself away in his dorm room where he and Tarro had slept since joining the saiyan army, gathering his thoughts. Every moment of that day played in his mind. He didn't even remember hearing Tarro call for help over the scouters. Tarro and Bardock's scouters had been destroyed in their battles anyway. Every time Tora thought about the events, the shock of seeing his brother being carried over Bardock's shoulders and at the state of his body resonated in his mind. Tarro had been covered in his own blood and burns from energy blasts also littered his skin. There was also no response from Tarro when his name was called. But now, two evenings after his brother's death and after thinking the events over, something in Tora's brain suddenly clicked. All the anger, pain and rage he had built up centred on one image. It was the one thing he could grasp, the one thing he could blame. Suddenly he climbed out of bed and marched out of his room.

Meanwhile, Fasha, Borgos and Bardock were at their usual bar drinking to drown their sorrows once again. They hadn't seen Tora since the morning after Tarro's death. All three were quiet until Bardock suddenly groaned. Borgos and Fasha looked up to see he had his head firmly in his hands, his fingers gripping his unruly hair.

"This is completely my fault," He grunted, "It should've been me!"

"No, Bardock," Fasha stated firmly, "This could've been any of us. Those Ethicans were more powerful than either of us expected."

Bardock lifted his head and the anger was clear in his eyes, "It was me who had us split up, Fasha! You guys are my team, my responsibility. I should've done   
something to prevent this!"

"What could you have done, Bardock?"

He turned and looked in Fasha's amethyst eyes. She may have been hurting but there was no blame aimed towards him. It was true, death and serious injury was expected for every saiyan warrior that fought in Frieza's name. If anyone was to blame it was the ruthless tyrant.

Finally, Bardock swallowed the rest of his drink in a single gulp and stood up. Borgos and Fasha watched as their leader marched solidly out of the bar.

"Bardock," Borgos called, "Where are you going?"

"Somewhere to think" He called back.

The two remaining saiyans looked at each other worried. They understood how close Tora, Bardock and Tarro had been, growing up together and all. They just hoped their leader wouldn't do something stupid. But a few minutes after Bardock left, they got an unexpected surprise.

"Fasha, Borgos" A voice called.

They turned and their eyes widened.

"Tora?" Fasha said, "What are you doing here?"

"Where's Bardock?"

"He's just left. A few minutes ago, he just got up and stormed out."

"Where?"

The two saiyans shook their heads, telling Tora they had no idea where Bardock was. He suddenly growled and turned, leaving the bar. But the nature of the growl worried Borgos and Fasha. Tora seemed ready to kill someone. The two saiyans looked at each other and they were both thinking the same. Panicked, they both got up and chased after Tora.

A few minutes ahead of Tora, Bardock was mindlessly walked through the citadel, lost in his own thoughts. He wasn't paying attention to where he was walking; his feet were just taking him where ever he was going. His thoughts were on Tarro, Tora, Courne and Bane. They had all been a brilliant second family for him. He knew he wouldn't have managed to get this far after Matrika's death if it hadn't been for them. Although he had lost his mother and her love, he had gained the friendship of two great guys, a true father figure and motherly wisdom from this unusual saiyan family. They had helped him through his darkest times but now, they were in theirs and Bardock wasn't sure what to do.

"Its times like these that I wish you were still alive, Mother."

He stopped and looked upwards towards the darkening sky. The stars were just starting to shine. One, the same star every time he looked up, held his attention. It was as if Matrika was watching her son from this one star. But before Bardock could get lost in his thoughts, he heard his name being shouted in an aggressive manner. He turned just as a hard fist made contact with his face. He stumbled back to see Tora stood in front of him, fist raised. His best friend had punched him squarely in the jaw.

"You bastard!" Tora shouted.

"What the hell, Tora!" Bardock demanded.

"If it wasn't for you, my brother would still be alive."

Before Bardock knew it, he was trying to defend himself from blows delivered from a very angry and raging Tora. When Fasha and Borgos finally caught up, Tora had got Bardock on the ground, the two saiyans grappling. They tried to split them up but Tora was seeing red and was determined to hurt Bardock.

Tora's punches came hard and fast, Bardock could feel his body vibrating with each hit, his heart pounding with adrenaline. Finally, Bardock got his senses together and managed to kick Tora hard between the legs. The larger saiyan stopped punching and folded in pain, giving Bardock the opportunity to push Tora over on to his back.

"Tora, stop this!"

"No! You were the one who said to split up! You were in charge, it's your fault!"

Tora tried to push Bardock off him, his arms thrashing and legs kicking. But, despite being shorter than his grieving friend, Bardock was stronger, managing to hold Tora in place. Eventually, Tora stopped enough to stare up in to Bardock's eyes.

"Tora, there was nothing any of us could do. It was a horrible accident. It could've been any one of us. I'm sorry."

Tora glared deeply in to Bardock's eyes. It was there he saw it. It was look he had seen before, but not on Bardock, on himself. Like it was yesterday, Tora could remember Bardock being on his knees in a training centre, pounding the ground as he let out the pain of losing his mother.

"It's ok, Bardock," Tora assured, "Let it out buddy."

"Why? Why did it happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?"

"Nothing, trust me, nothing."

If Tora hadn't been so patient and persistent with Bardock at that time, Bardock wouldn't have made it this far. And right now, Bardock was returning that favour. Tora's glare turned to hurt, his eyes welling up. Bardock sighed, almost sharing Tora's pain.

Finally, Tora calmed enough for Bardock to stand up and pull his friend to his feet. Fasha and Borgos could breathe a sigh of relief as Bardock pulled Tora in to a firm, manly hug.

"It's going to be ok, Tora."

"I'm sorry, Bardock."

"Me too, Tora, me too"

Bardock patted Tora on the back, a gesture the taller saiyan returned, and then they parted the hug. When they looked at each other, dirt covered both of their faces and armour and bruises were starting to appear on Bardock. He also had blood appearing from his nose.

"We'd better get cleaned up." Tora suggested.

"Yeah," Bardock agreed, "We'd better."

With a sad smile between them and a sigh of relief from Fasha and Borgos, the four saiyans set off to their barracks. On the way, Tora turned subtly to Bardock.

"Bardock," He asked, "Does the grief totally go? I mean, does Matrika's death still hurt?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I can't tell with you sometimes and I need to know for myself."  
Bardock didn't respond straight away. He thought deeply as they walked. Tora waited patiently.

"It's less hurtful than when it initially happened," Bardock finally answered, "But the hurt doesn't always go away. You just learn to move on."

Tora sighed deeply. Bardock reached over and patted his best friend shoulder. Tora understood that his friends were going to be there for him, like he was for Bardock. But there were still challenges ahead for the whole team.


	9. New team?

Returning to normal after Tarro's death wasn't easy for Bardock and his crew. But they started going back to training together. The inherent love for fighting helped them all. It didn't take long for the training sessions to become fun once again but occasionally the knowledge that someone was missing from this fun would be like a black cloud hovering of over them. Tora, of course, found it the toughest to carry on without his brother but even he was making progress. Fasha quickly moved on from her heartbreak and was back to her sassy self and the friendship between Tora and Bardock got stronger. A few weeks after losing Tarro, the team were finally ready to go back out assignments. For any other race, this would be a bad idea so soon. But for a band of saiyan warriors it was fine.

To mark the occasion, Courne, who had inadvertently fostered Fasha and Borgos as well as Bardock, got the four young saiyans brand new amour. Since becoming a team, the four young saiyans had been wearing the same black, white and gold armour complete with the armour over the shoulders, the sides of the legs and the crotch and with boots and wrist armour. Now, they were all wearing different colours and different styles. Tora's had the full works, shoulder armour, armour over his crotch and sides of his legs, boots and wrist armour except it was light blue and darker blue. Fasha had the main body armour with just one shoulder strap. It was suited for her feminine figure with no armour over her legs, except for knees pads, and was black and gold. Underneath the armour, she wore a pink leotard. White gloves and boots finished off the outfit. The main body armour for both Bardock and Borgos just had straps over both shoulders with matching boots. However, Bardock's had armour over the sides of his legs. Bardock's was green and dark blue while Borgos' was mostly dark blue with gold straps and light blue middle. Both had long spandex pants and Borgos had dark blue wrist armour. Bardock swapped his wrist armour for a pair of red sleeves, along with a pair of red leg warmers. With each saiyan now wearing their own individual style of amour, they had a clean slate to start taking on assignments again. However, another big change was yet to shake up the team.

This fateful change began a few days after the team's first mission after Tarro's death. They were all sat together at a diner, stuffing their faces after a fun training session. They were laughing and joking with each other, the main joke being Bardock ending up in a healing pod after getting knocked out by flying piece of debris, courtesy of Fasha, during that first mission back.

"It was the look on your face, Bardock," Tora laughed loudly, "You looked so funny!"

"Oh, thanks Tora!" Bardock exclaimed, "Don't ask me for sympathy when it happens to you!"

They laughed harder, unaware that they were getting an unexpected visitor. They were being approached by a saiyan they'd never met before, one who clearly didn't want to be there.

"Hey," He shouted over the noise.

The four saiyans quietened down and looked at their new arrival. He was a big guy, not tall but very round. His hair was neat compared to Bardock's and Tora's, like a bowl, and he had a thin moustache appearing.

"Which one of you is Bardock?"

"Me," Bardock replied, standing up, "why? Who are you?"

"The name's Shugesh, I've been assigned to your team."

The whole team fell in to stunned silence. Bardock could feel Tora stiffen beside him.

"What?" Bardock asked, stiffly.

"Commander Nappa has assigned me to your team after I left mine."

Bardock glared at Shugesh as the larger saiyan glared back. But as much as Bardock didn't want to believe it, he could see the truth. Shugesh was there to take Tarro's place.

"Bardock, he can't be!" Tora exclaimed, "Listen buddy, we don't need another fighter on this team."

"Yeah, we're fine," Fasha snapped, "So be on your way!"

Shugesh just snarled at them as they glared back. The atmosphere was getting tense by the second. But eventually, Bardock got out of his shock.

"Listen, Shugesh," He said firmly, "We weren't informed of this so I going to see Nappa right now."

"What am I to do?"

"I don't care."

Leaving the four pissed and confused saiyans in the diner, Bardock set off to find Nappa.

However, when Bardock finally found the balding commander, Nappa was typically unhelpful.

"I don't care if you don't want him Bardock," He growled, "Shugesh has to go somewhere and your team needs another man."

"What about his own team?" Bardock asked.

"He was taken off his last team after he deserted them on Planet Roma."

Bardock froze, stunned.

"He's a deserter! Then, I definitely don't want him!"

"Tough! You will do as you are ordered, you low level trash bag!"

Bardock desperately wanted to argue some more but Nappa was much bigger and out-classed him by far. Nappa was the Commander of the saiyan army, elite. Bardock didn't stand a chance against him. So reluctantly, the young saiyan warrior went to walk away.

"Hey! I'm not finished!" Nappa barked.

Bardock stopped and turned around. Nappa promptly gave him his team's next mission and orders to leave immediately. So, begrudgingly, Bardock went to collect his team, including Shugesh.

When Bardock told Tora, Fasha and Borgos that Shugesh was on the team whether they liked it or not, they started protesting loudly, practically shouting in Bardock's face.

"Hey! I don't like this either!" He snapped, "But we've got no choice!"

The rest stopped and stared at Bardock almost begging him to say it was a joke, but it wasn't. So, with no word to Shugesh, they all climbed in to their pods and set off. The planet they were sent to was the planet of Besgloth. There was a very large population here but they weren't very strong so the saiyans were pretty confident.

"Ha, piece of cake," Shugesh gloated.

Tora turned to Bardock, "Keep that bastard away from me," he warned, "Or, I'll kill him."

Bardock sighed heavily. It was bad enough that no one wanted Shugesh there but now he had to keep an eye on his best friend.

However, the internal problems with the team soon got worse. The five saiyans were deep in the thick of fighting with the Gloths and were quickly ploughing through. For a few hours, the team forgot that there were problems within the group. Until it all went wrong. Bardock was charging through small group of inhabitants, easily taking them all out. It wasn't long before he had just six brave ones left ready to attack, armed with spears. Of course, such measly weaponry was nothing for Bardock. But as he went to tackle them, something knocked him back in to the ground. Suddenly, before the young warrior realised, the six residents were throwing their very sharp spears at him. Tora spotted his best friend in trouble.

"Bardock!"

As he charged over, Tora launched a massive energy wave that obliterated the aliens in one blow. He carried on running until he reached his friend. A huge percentage of Bardock's armour was either cracked or had disappeared. Blood covered his bare flesh and there were a few wounds on his body, mostly severe cuts from the sharp edges of the spears.

"Bardock! Are you ok?"

"Ha, no… not really, Tora"

"Hold on Buddy."

Bardock then passed out. Tora pulled Bardock's arm over his shoulders, supported his weight and carried him back to the pods. But there was still a large number of Gloths left so Tora couldn't leave. He helped Bardock in to his pod and sent it home, sending a message to Planet Vegeta. He stood for a few moments as he watched the pod disappear.

"Don't you die, Bardock," Tora warned, "I don't think I could cope, not after everything."

Once the pod was gone from sight, Tora returned to work.

After a long, rather painful ride back, Bardock's pod landed on Planet Vegeta. The landing crew ran out to open the pod and drag Bardock to the nearest recovery centre. The young warrior was stripped then shoved in to an empty healing pod, hooked up to the necessary wires and had an oxygen mask stuck over his face. Plenthor watched over him as he recovered. As he watched, Malaka walked in to assist.

"How is he, Plenthor?"

"He'll be ok now," Plenthor replied, "I just can't work out what happened. Besgloth isn't a particularly dangerous planet, so how did a warrior of Bardock's power end up like this?"

Inside the pod, Bardock faintly heard the question. 'Trust me, I'm still asking that myself.'

It still didn't make sense. How did he end up in the dirt with the Gloths throwing spears at him? Then, the fight replayed in Bardock's mind, more slowly this time. As he approached the trembling Gloths, a shadow came closer. Bardock recognised the shape of the shadow, it wasn't his own. It was Shugesh! He flew in Bardock's way and knocked the young saiyan leader out of the sky.

'That bastard!'

But, inside the pod, there was nothing Bardock could do about Shugesh right now.   
But something had to be done.


	10. Shugesh redeems

A few hours later, Bardock's recovery time was finally over and he was allowed out of the pod. He dried his spiky hair then dressed, pulling his newly repaired armour on. As he dressed, the anger at Shugesh's actions was racing through him. Although he was now supposed to rest, he really wanted to pound the fat saiyan's face in.

"How could he be so stupid?"

But then, as he turned around, something caught his eye. Or rather someone caught his eye.

Stood talking to Plenthor was her, the beautiful saiyan girl Bardock saw on the morning Tarro died, out of the landing deck. She was clearly having an enjoyable conversation with Plenthor; she was smiling that dazzling smile once again. This time, Bardock saw her figure. She was petite like Fasha but she seemed somehow more delicate than his female comrade. She was wearing new armour too, light and mid blue, it just had straps with armour protecting her intimate areas, matching boots and wrist armour with long dark blue spandex stockings. Also, this girl had her tail out, rather than wrapped around herself. The tail was just as pretty as she was, the fur looked very soft and silky as she carried it high. It also seemed to wave in a happy way. Bardock just couldn't help but admire how stunning she was.

'Wow, she's…'

Then she stopped talking and turned to look right at Bardock with those stunning green eyes. Plenthor turned to see his patient staring, transfixed. The female saiyan seemed to blush at Bardock's attention. Then she recovered her composure before the young male did.

"Anyway, I'd better go," She smiled at Plenthor, "Thank you for the help, Plenthor."

"Any time, my dear"

With one more smile at Bardock, the mystery girl left, her tail waving freely behind her. Plenthor saw the look on Bardock's face and walked over.

"She's very beautiful, isn't she, Bardock?" He smiled, knowingly.

"Y-yeah, she is."

Plenthor just chuckled. In all the years he had known Bardock, he had never seen the saiyan warrior so awestruck.

But now with Bardock's angel out of sight, there was something more serious to worry about.

"Plenthor, do you know if Tora and the others are back yet?"

"They got back just thirty minutes ago."

"Thanks"

Grabbing his scouter, Bardock set off to find his team. It actually didn't take long to find them; they were very easy to find. Bardock could hear Fasha, Tora and Shugesh shouting at each other. He ran until he found his team stood together. Well, Fasha, Tora and Borgos stood on one side of the room and Shugesh was stood on the other side. It wasn't hard to work out what they were fighting about.

"He was nearly killed, Asshole!" Tora roared, "All thanks to you!"

"Me?" Shugesh growled, "That cocky little punk should've been watching what he was doing!"

"Don't talk about Bardock like that!" Fasha warned.

"Hey!" Bardock finally shouted.

The four saiyans stopped argument and Bardock marched over, standing between Shugesh and his friends.

"You see?" Shugesh barked, "He's fine, nothing happened."

"I only made it off that planet alive because my team look out for each other and respect each other. If you hadn't got in my way, Tora wouldn't have had to step in."  
Shugesh huffed, "Respect, you say? Well, clearly, you don't respect me."

"Likewise," Bardock snarled, "And, after that stunt, respect's not coming your way any time soon."

The two saiyans glared deep in to each other’s eyes. As tempted as Bardock was to kick Shugesh off the team, he remembered the threat Nappa gave him.

"Fasha, Tora, Borgos," He said sternly, "Go get something to eat. I need a few moments."

Although they wanted to argue, Fasha and the two boys walked off, leaving Bardock alone with Shugesh.

For a few moments, the two young saiyans stared at each other. Shugesh was trying to work out what was running through Bardock's head. And, if he was honest, Bardock wasn't sure how he was going to handle this. But he had to say something.

"Nappa told me how you ended up on my team."

"Oh yeah? Did he give you the bullshit about deserting?"

Bardock nodded. "And, after that stunt on Ethica, I do not trust you at all, now."  
Shugesh stared at Bardock. Bardock could see that Shugesh didn't really know how he could argue with that. Clearly, Shugesh couldn't deny his desertion of his team or his arrogance on Ethica.

"Look, Shugesh, trust is what makes this team work," Bardock told him, "Tora and I have known each other since we were very small and Borgos and Fasha are like family too. Right now, we are all still adjusting to Tarro being gone."  
Shugesh's eyes narrowed with new knowledge. He had no idea that Bardock's team had lost one. Bardock saw the look.

"He was Tora's twin brother and Fasha's boyfriend. He was a great guy and great warrior but he was fatally injured during a mission and died. Anyway, you pushing your weight around without thought did not help. If I had a choice, I'd kick you off this team then kill you. But I don't. So, do me a favour, do not pull another stunt like that. Or I will actually kill you."

With that, Bardock turned and walked away, leaving Shugesh in the hall alone, absorbing what he had been told.

A couple of days later, Bardock and the crew were given a new assignment, the planet of Chosh. Tora and Fasha were very angry that Bardock had let Shugesh come along, even though he maintained he had no choice. Borgos, though quiet, stayed as far from Shugesh as he could. It was tough being caught in the middle but Bardock had no choice but to push his team on to do their jobs. However, a surprise was on the way. The five saiyans landed and climbed out of their pods then got their bearings. They then started looking around the immediate area. It was a rather average planet, basic blue sky and green grass. It was just a good liveable planet.

"Not a bad place," Bardock commented, "Anyone getting power signals?"

"I've got, what looks, like a village a few miles north of here." Fasha replied.

"I've got a smaller one in the west." Shugesh said.

"And there's another in the south." Borgos added.

"Ok, Borgos, you and I will take the south. Tora, you and Fasha take the north. Shugesh, you take the west."

Shugesh looked at Bardock with narrow eyes. At first he wondered why Bardock was sending him alone but then he remembered the trust issue. There was no way Bardock was going to risk anyone being killed this time. Once everything was clear, the five saiyans went they separate ways.

It was long before Tora and Fasha landed in the village they sensed. The buildings were rather uninteresting, round, white and roughly two levels each. The creatures were the same height as the saiyans, humanoid like them but had natural formed armour, rather like a turtle and were of athletic build. They seemed like decent fighters but Tora and Fasha weren't getting very high readings on their scouters. So they landed right in the middle of the village, catching the attention of the villagers. After just a matter of seconds, the largest of the creatures took on fighting stances.

"They look serious." Fasha whispered to Tora.

"Yeah, I noticed," Tora replied.

Then Tora addressed the villagers.

"People of the planet Chosh, from today, this planet is now under the control of the Planet Trade Organisation. The mighty Lord Frieza requires this planet. So you can either surrender willingly and be recruited in to the organisation or we will destroy you all."

Fasha glanced at Tora and gave the hint of a laugh. Tora was trying really hard to be in charge. Bardock was the one who usually gave this speech and he gave it more gravity than Tora did just now.

"So, what do you say?" Fasha said loudly to all the villagers.

"We say no!" The elder of the villagers shouted.

Suddenly six of the fittest, healthiest members of the village hit off the ground and attacked. As it turned out, although not powerful as the saiyans, the fighters of Chosh were very fast. Even speedy Fasha was struggling to keep up with them. These six fighters were overwhelming the two saiyans.

Finally, Fasha and Tora found themselves cornered by the six fighters, stood ready to attack. Both saiyan warriors were panting heavily with scuffs and minor wounds over their faces and damage to their armour.

"Ah Man!" Tora groaned, "This isn't what I had in mind for my death."

"Well, we can die together."

The two friends glanced at each other and smiled. But before they could fight back, a huge long energy wave hit the six fighters, knocking them like dominos. Tora and Fasha looked to their side to see Shugesh flying towards them. The two friends stared with wide open eyes as he flew closer. He clearly had been in the same situation. But he was saving them!

"Hey, let's get out of here!" He yelled.

Without asking, Tora and Fasha did as suggested and took to the air. As they raced away from the village, they heard Bardock's raised voice shouting down the scouters.

"Everyone get to the pods now!" He ordered, "We're abandoning this mission."  
In just a few minutes, the five saiyans reunited at the pods, climbed in and were on route back to Planet Vegeta.

"What the hell was that?" Shugesh demanded, over the scouter.

"You tell me, Shugesh," Tora replied, more calmly, "You got Fasha and me out of some serious trouble."

"What?" Bardock asked.

"While Fasha and I were pinned down, Shugesh blasted six of those creatures off us then told us to flee."

"Yeah, he saved us!" Fasha near cheered.

The scouters went silent as Bardock took in this new information. Shugesh smiled to himself, remembering what happened to him.

Like Tora and Fasha, Shugesh landed a village and gave a similar conquering speech to Tora's. Then a few moments later, the fighters of the village attacked him. But he managed to escape. As he flew away, a part of him wanted to find his pod and get back home. But then something stopped him in his tracks. Echoing in his brain was Bardock's voice from a few days ago.

"Look, Shugesh, trust is what makes this team work. Tora and I have known each other since we were very small and Borgos and Fasha are like family too."

"I can't be a deserter all my life."

With that, he used his scouter to find Tora and Fasha. When he got close enough, he could see the battered and worn comrades cornered by the native warriors. Knowing he couldn't turn back now, Shugesh powered up his most powerful energy wave and threw it at the fighters.

"Hey, let's get out of here!" He yelled.

Now, sat in his space pod going home, he was glad he made that decision. As he smiled to himself, Shugesh heard Bardock's then Tora's voice.

"Hey, Shugesh," The scarred warrior said, "Nice work, man."

"Yeah," Tora grinned, "Welcome to the team Shugesh."

Safe and relatively unharmed, the five saiyans returned home.


	11. Kayla

After the long journey back to Vegeta from Chosh, Bardock and his team landed. When they got out, Tora immediately patted Shugesh on the back.

"Thanks again, Shugesh."

"Don't mention it, Tora," Shugesh grinned, "but don't forget that you owe me one."  
The two new friends laughed heartily as Bardock, Fasha and Borgos watched, smiling. But as they stood around, one of the deck crew came running over to them.

"Bardock," He called, "You've been ordered to find Commander Nappa as soon as you land."

"Why?" Bardock asked, frowning.

"No idea, sir. But he seemed furious."

Bardock turned to his team who stared, wide eyed. It didn't really take a genius to work out what Nappa wanted.

"I'll catch up." He assured a nervous looking team.

Leaving Tora and the others, Bardock set off to find Nappa's office.

When Bardock got to the door, he was slightly surprised when it opened. Then the surprises kept coming. Out of the office stepped her, the beautiful girl again.

"I'm not giving up on this, Kayla!" Nappa's voice boomed after her.

"Whatever, Commander" She replied coolly, not looking behind as she shut the door.

When she looked up, she stopped, stunned to see Bardock stood in front of her.

"Kayla, huh?" Bardock smiled, "You know you've got beautiful eyes and a great smile, Kayla?"

"Well, did anyone tell you you're a cocky bastard?" She replied, mischievously, "So, you are…?"

But before the young soldier could introduce himself, Nappa burst the door open.

"Bardock! Get your arrogant dick in here now!"

"There's your answer."

"Good luck, Bardock."

With a smile between them, Bardock finally did as Nappa ordered and went in to the office. As soon as he closed the door, the army commander let rip.

"Who the hell do you think you are, Bardock?" He demanded, "You are not in a position to decide when you abort a mission!"

"I was ensuring my team returned to Planet Vegeta safely." Bardock replied calmly, 

"After Tarro's death, I was determined to make sure no one else on my team ended   
up that way."

"We've lost a valuable planet! King Vegeta is furious right now, Frieza wanted that planet!"

"My team are far more important than expanding Frieza's empire, Commander."

Nappa snarled at how calmly Bardock was acting. The younger saiyan clearly wasn't intimidated by him. After the abuse from his father, the deaths of his mother and close friend and the, now resolved, chaos within his team, not even the mighty Frieza scared Bardock now. Nappa stared at Bardock for a few seconds. Then he turned away.

"Get out of my sight, bastard." He said threateningly.

With a slight nod, Bardock strolled out. But when he shut the door behind him, he was surprised to see Kayla stood outside the door, waiting.

"You're still here?"

"Waiting for you," She replied, "We've seen each other twice before yet it's only now that we get each other's names."

"Ah, so this is the best time to get to know me, right?"

Kayla smirked. "You can start by buying me dinner, I am starving"

With that, she turned and started walking in the direction of one of the nearest   
diners. Bardock stared for a few moments, his eyes taking in the sultry sway of her hips and tail, and then followed the delightful view of her bottom.

While Bardock was getting one of the best views he'd ever seen, Tora and the others had got themselves settled at the counter with a drink each. They had been there for a while, Tora and Fasha telling Shugesh stories of their first few missions together, one in particular had them laughing loudly.

"It was hilarious," Tora roared, "Bardock looked so stupid. His eyes were the size of dishes and he was practically shaking!"

"He was shitting himself!" Fasha blurted.

They almost fell off their seats as they laughed louder. When they started to calm down, it was Fasha who realised that they were still in a foursome.

"Hey guys," She said, "I wonder where Bardock is at."

"He can't still be in Nappa's office can he?" Borgos asked.

"I hope not." Tora replied.

"Maybe he's looking for us, doesn't know where we are." Shugesh suggested.

"Nah, we always drink in this bar. Bardock would come here to find us."

They all looked around and couldn't see their leader anywhere. Then, just as they were starting to worry, they spotted Kayla walking past the door. Then, just seconds later, Bardock was following her.

"Hey! Where's Bardock going?" Shugesh demanded.

"He looked like he was following that girl." Tora replied.

"That looked like Kayla," Fasha said, "Her hair and eyes are unmistakeable."

"And who exactly is Kayla?"

"She was Commander Sage's daughter, you know, the guy who lead the army before Nappa."

The eyes of the boys widened as they realised what this meant, Kayla was an elite and Bardock had expensive taste. The four saiyans looked at each other. Surely Bardock didn't stand a chance of pulling this girl, did he?

But, Tora and the others seemed to be wrong. After finally reaching the diner, ten plates of juicy food were placed on the table in between Kayla and Bardock. It didn't take long for them to tuck in. As they ate, Bardock noticed Kayla glancing at his scar on his face. It was intriguing her, not surprising considering the size of it.

"How did that happen?" She finally asked, pointing her finger.

"My so-called father," Bardock replied, "His idea of training was to try and kill me. This is from his first 'session' when I was about six."

Kayla's eyes narrowed as she took in this information.

"That's disgusting. Well, I personally think it suits you. You actually look like a warrior. Most guys look too feeble to be considered warriors."

Bardock couldn't help but smirk at that comment. It was a compliment but she had said in such a way that it sounded like a fleeting statement.

"So where were you and your crew off to when I first saw you?" She asked.

"A planet called Ethica."

On saying that planet's name, Bardock felt a pang of guilt at the memory of Tarro's death.

"What about you? Where were you going?" He asked.

"To the technician's lab, you know, Doctor Sports. I was helping him to update some scouters."

Bardock raised an eyebrow at that answer. Kayla saw the look.

"I don't go off on assignments like you do," She replied, "I love training and sparring with the right person is great fun but I'd rather not be involved with expanding Frieza's empire."

The latter part of that dialogue stunned Bardock a little. Kayla was a rebel to Frieza's cause and to pretty much every saiyan, including himself. Again, Kayla recognised the look on his face and smiled.

"I'm not saying I don't support you and the other warriors," She assured, "We saiyans are the greatest fighters around. But Frieza doesn't give us the respect we deserve, treating each of us as disposable, so I refuse to work for him."

"That's why Nappa roared at you earlier. He wanted to assign you somewhere."

"Well, assign me to a crew, yeah. But he's wasting his time."

Bardock smirked and leaned across the table staring at her. She smirked back, trying to decide what he was going to do.

"Good, we wouldn't want to ruin that pretty face of yours." He said, jokingly.  
At least, Bardock thought it was a joke. Suddenly, before Bardock could register what was happening, Kayla stood up and slapped him straight in the face with her tail.

"I'll ruin yours if you speak to me like that again," She growled, "nobody objectifies me and gets away with it."

With a turn on her heel, Kayla strode out of the diner, leaving a stunned and speechless Bardock glued to his seat. But before she was gone from sight, Kayla stopped and turned back to face him to see him rubbing his face where she slapped him.

"If you want to try that again," She called, "I'll be training tomorrow morning, if you want try your luck."

She smiled seductively at him then slipped out. Bardock stared at the doorway, blinking, taking in what had just happened. Kayla may have hit him for crossing a line but she was giving him the opportunity to try again. Finally, a smug smile spread across his face.

"I think she likes me."


	12. Dating, saiyan style

After an hour of sitting in the bar waiting, Fasha and the boys were starting to worry about Bardock again. They hadn't seen him since they saw him following Kayla. Was he in trouble for hassling a member of the elite? Surely, if he was, he'd need the healing pods. He was only a young low level after all.

"Hey, maybe we should go and look for him." Borgos suggested.

"Hmm," Tora answered, "I think we should give Bardock a bit more time."

Then something caught Fasha's eye.

"Hey, there's no need," She interrupted, "He's here."

All four turned to see Bardock walking towards them, rubbing his cheek.

"Hey, hey! Bardock!" Shugesh cheered, "We were starting to wonder where you were."

"Well, I wasn't far."

Bardock then sat down, signalling to the bartender for a drink. It was then that Tora noticed the bright pink mark on Bardock's face, near his scar. He recognised the sort of mark, making him smirk. He gestured to the others to look. When they did, they all understood, holding back laughter.

"So, that Kayla's a little minx, is she?" He teased.

Bardock turned to them to see the knowing smirks. But how did they know he was with Kayla? And how did they know Kayla anyway? He had only just met her himself. The team all looked at each other, realising that Bardock didn't know who Kayla really was.

As Fasha and the boys told Bardock about Kayla's father, Bardock's eyes widened. His beautiful new friend was one of the elite. She was possibly one of the most powerful fighters on the planet. When she slapped him, she could've really injured him yet she held back, another indication that she must've liked Bardock.

"So, why did she slap you?" Fasha asked.

"I, eh, opened my mouth without thinking." He admitted.

"What did you call her? Honey-buns?" Shugesh laughed.

"Something like that."

Suddenly, all of Bardock's crew erupted with laughter.

"Ha, ha, ha! Bardock thought he stood a chance against the hot elite girl!"

In his seat, Bardock felt his face flush a little. But he was about to get the last laugh.

"Yeah, well, maybe I do. She wants me to spar with her tomorrow."

That comment made everyone stop laughing abruptly. They all froze with their widened eyes staring right at Bardock. He quickly threw his drink down his throat then got up and strode proudly out of the bar, his friends left with mouths open.

The next day, Bardock landed at the training centre Kayla told him she'd be at then went inside. At first, he couldn't see her. The training centre was strangely busy at this time in the morning. Many of the saiyans were getting ready for their next assignments but one guy caught Bardock's attention. The man was dressed in blue and black amour similar to Bardock's, had a huge mass of spiky dark brown hair and he had a beard and moustache on his face. A part of Bardock shivered as this man looked a bit like his father. But then the young saiyan saw them, two small saiyan children following the man, one boy and one girl. They were both wearing saiyan armour, both with shoulder armour. The boy wore green, like Bardock, and the girl wore red. Their little brown tails were loose, wiggling freely in the air.

"Come on now, you two," The father of the children called, "No dawdling."

"Coming, Papa" The girl announced.

The father smiled as his offspring hurried after him. Bardock felt a smile form on his face as he watched the little ones disappear in to an arena.

'If only my father was like that with me.'

Then, as Bardock was about to relive those bad memories, he felt a small hand tap his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Kayla stood smiling at him. Her hair had been pinned back from her face, providing a better view of her eyes.

"So, you showed up." She said, faking surprise, "You are persistent, aren't you?"

"I wouldn't be good at my job if I gave up so easily." He replied, smirking.

"Good to hear. So, are you ready?"

"Sure, show me what elite saiyans are made of."

Kayla's smile faded and her eyes widened a bit. It was clearly a surprise to hear Bardock knew about her status. He explained that his friends told him. Kayla sighed, realising that Bardock would've found out eventually anyway. She quickly brushed it off and the two saiyans went in to the last available arena to train.

Inside, they warmed up by stretching then started the actual training. It was a challenge. Bardock had to try and catch Kayla with anything he had and he had to do it without his scouter. It didn't take long for him to realise that she was fast. It was hard for him to keep track of her movements. He soon got the rhythm of her movements then kicked out to catch her. But she blocked the kick by grabbing his ankle. She made him flip over backwards. Bardock got his act together with some back flips, following with an energy blast. Kayla managed to dodge it but it was a powerful blast and she was impressed.

'Are they sure he's a low class? If that had got me, I definitely would need medical help. But I'm not telling him that.'

"What do you call that?" She mocked, "I wouldn't have agreed to this if I knew you'd be a weakling."

That just made Bardock more determined to catch her. He then shot another blast at her but this time it was weaker so Kayla decided to block it rather then move. She held out both hands and stopped the blast. It soon fizzled out but Bardock had vanished. She looked around but he had gone from sight. Then she felt him appear from behind her. She managed to catch a glimpse of him before he sent her hurtling to the ground. Before she hit the floor she stopped herself then looked up at him. As he floated looking confident, she couldn't help but think he was handsome. She gathered energy in her hand and shot at him. He also shot a blast. The two attacks met and pushed against each other. They could feel the other one’s attack pushing them backwards. Then Kayla dug deep and pushed harder. So hard in fact, that Bardock had to let go and move out of the way before he got hurt. Seeing she was distracted, he moved as quickly as he could to her. As the energy dispersed, Kayla once again was faced with no sight of Bardock. Suddenly, two arms wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her side.

"Caught you," Bardock whispered in her ear, "I win."

Kayla just gave him a playful pout. "That was just lucky."

They then burst in to breathless laughter. That was more fun than either expected.

For a couple more hours, Bardock and Kayla sparred together. Although Kayla was elite, it was clear that Bardock had more experience fighting. She was often caught off guard by his moves. But she was determined and stubborn, meaning Bardock didn't have it easy, she certainly kept him on his toes. This resilience teamed with her elite power made this sparring session one of Bardock's favourites. And it wasn't just because he was having fun. Every times their eyes met, he got to gaze in to her stunning emeralds. She was just so beautiful. Eventually, though, they landed and sat down on the ground, gathering their breath.

"Well," Kayla breathed, "I can say that was pleasant."

"Pleasant? Is that all?"

Kayla smiled, teasingly, "Ok, it was crap. That better?"

Bardock's eyes narrowed at her. He didn't see any boredom in her face as they sparred. Kayla saw the look and gave a cheeky giggle

"I didn't mean it. That was one of the best spars I've ever had. It was like training with my father again."

"What was your father like?"

Kayla turned and stared at Bardock for a few seconds. She wasn't sure she wanted to show the affection she felt for her father in front of a seasoned saiyan warrior, even if Bardock was a cool guy.

"Well, you know my father was a bastard," Bardock said, "Yours couldn't have been worse. In fact, I can tell by your expression that he wasn't."

Kayla sighed softly then gave a slight smile.

But, just as she was about to tell Bardock about her father, she heard her name being called. The two young saiyans turned to look towards the door. Stood in the doorway was a tall athletic built guy. He was wearing white and gold armour with only armour over the shoulders, blue spandex pants and white gloves and boot that matched his armour. He had dark eyes and dark spiky hair that slicked back and ran down his back, finishing at his knees.

"Roka" Kayla called, standing up, "How did you know I was here?"

"Eh, because you always train here. Now, let's go."

Kayla then noticed that Roka was glaring at Bardock. The low level soldier just stared casually at him.

'That must be Kayla's brother.' Bardock thought.

"I might see you again, Bardock," She said, "Thanks for today."

"Sure, see you around, Kayla."

Kayla then walked towards Roka then carried on walking. Roka gave one last glare to Bardock then marched out, escorting his sister out of the training centre. The scarred fighter stood up, brushed his armour down and sighed. Roka's arrival may have meant that this was last time he'd see Kayla again.

That night, while Tora snored in the bunk underneath him, Bardock lay with his   
arms under his head. His eyes fixed on the ceiling as he thought. That training session with Kayla had been great. For a few hours, neither of them seemed to care that they were different, that one was elite while one was low level. And, of course her beauty stuck in his mind. But then Roka came and made it clear that Kayla was off limits.

"Oh, well, it was nice while it lasted." He sighed.

Eventually, Bardock fell asleep, Kayla's face in his mind.


End file.
